Indholdsfortegnelse for August 13, 2020 i Cycling Weekly

Wout Van Aert gave the perfect demonstration of just how flexible a rider he is at Milan-San Remo last Saturday, when he attacked on the Poggio with Julian Alaphilippe, going on to best him in the sprint for what was his first Monument victory. The Dutchman, riding in the colours of Jumbo-Visma, underlined his superb form coming out of lockdown, which saw him take an impressive solo win in Strade Bianche the weekend before. And it seems fans aren’t the only ones impressed with the 25-year-old’s performance; Van Aert himself is enjoying finding out exactly what he’s capable of, as he pointed out in San Remo after the race: “I think it’s super-good that I don’t know what my limits are,” he said. “I’m 25 and it’s really a pleasure…

MOLLY WEAVER Bad luck ends LeJog dream I recently embarked on a big two-wheeled challenge, and almost as soon as it started it also ended. I was riding from Land’s End to John o’Groats, completely self-supported, on a mixture of gravel, singletrack and road as part of this year’s GBDuro. With the added element of needing to carry all of my food for the duration of the event, I set off on a 35kg bike and headed off into the unknown. Although I knew that there was a high probability of not completing an event such as this, I also refused to let myself consider that I might not make it to the finish line. I think that if you commit to a journey as epic as this one then…

I really hope he takes a deep breath and thinks about this. It would set a precedent that could seriously damage the sport… Jeremy Maccelari It’s a racing incident that should be handled by the UCI and perhaps resulting in suspension. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to use softer barriers at the finish line. Joe Locke I marvel at how dangerous the barricades look at the finishes of many of these races, with legs that actually stick out onto the race course. It’d be nice to develop something similar to the air fencing that’s used in motorcycle races. Chris Smith It was a horrific crash and yes, it was dangerous what Dylan did, but it’s also racing and racing is inherently dangerous. I have no doubt that there…

Standing at the roadside of a race as the peloton speeds by is only part of the experience of watching professional cycling. Whether it be on top of a mountain, in the noisy confines of a velodrome, or even in the centre of a city during a criterium, it is spectators that can make the day memorable, regardless of how many photos can be taken of their heroes. CW has spoken to some of the most dedicated – and most crazy – fans from around the world to hear their stories of life as a cycling fanatic. Dore Holte “Lance Armstrong once turned to me and said: ‘Ha, you’re crazy, man’” Sure, a lot of us have customised flags and banners for races, but few fans have got as inventive…

It has been nine months since Carapaz first met his new team-mates, but he is still the newbie – albeit a much-hyped one – that no one there really knows. “I am still meeting people,” he says. “I spent some days in Colombia racing with the team, but only met a few, and then the pandemic happened. “I don’t know G or Froomey, directors, physios, soigneurs, there are a lot of people I have still to meet. But it is a really nice team for me, very friendly, and my integration has been easy.” Eddie Dunbar, who will be one of his strongest allies in the mountains in Italy, laughed. “Apart from the training camp, the past 24 hours is the first time I’ve spent with him!” he told Cycling…

What if you’re not on the Olympic squad and don’t have access to a heat chamber? Former national time trial champion-turned-coach Matt Bottrill has worked with pro triathletes, including Ironman world record holder Matt Hanson and 2015 Kona bronze medallist Tim Don, to prepare them for the heat and humidity of the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Although Bottrill travelled to a training camp in Kansas City with Hanson and Don so they could do big rides in heat that replicated Kona, the amateur age-grouper athletes he coached mostly did their heat acclimation on the turbo trainer in an environment that was much less exotic than Kansas and far less high-tech than the Bisham Abbey heat chamber. “If you’re training for a hot-weather event and don’t have access to heat…

As a 58-year-old very competitive cyclist, I’m always concerned when my heart rate hits 190bpm-plus on really hard efforts. My average is 170-180bpm in a race. Fellow competitors my age max-out at 140-150 and average a lot less. Is this something I should be worried about? Paul Mann I’ve checked with my cardiology colleague Dr Simon Kennon, who says that while a race average of 170-180 may just be normal for you, it is quite high. Even if you feel fine during and after your cycle, he recommends getting a cardiology appointment to discuss whether further investigations are needed. A family history of heart disease or other medical problems such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure might be a significant contributory factor. And if you feel unwell in any…

Racing cyclists in Britain breathed a long sigh of relief – and then drew a deep breath – as competition finally kicked off again under the auspices of British Cycling, following nearly five months of lockdown. Two circuit race meetings on Hertfordshire’s Bovingdon Bomber closed circuit were followed by a Brooks Cycles Track League meet at Newcastle under Lyme last week, with all being hailed a resounding success despite the challenges thrown up by the pandemic. British Cycling’s head of delivery Jonathan Day called the return to racing, “Hugely important. It’s part of the fabric of what we’re about as an organisation, you know, it’s absolutely at the centre of what we do. People race and compete for lots of reasons; because they enjoy it but also because physically and…

Sa Calobra Vs Mount Teide SA CALOBRA Height gain 668m Summit height 731m Length 9.4km Average gradient 7% Max gradient 12% Sa Calobra, a climb on everyone’s bucket list, is a perfect tangle of roads hidden on the northern coast of the Balearic island of Majorca. Built in 1932 and known also as ‘the Snake’, its purpose was to transport holidaymakers down to the exquisite fishing village at the coast. Although not famous for being included in any races, its notoriety has come, not only from the magnificence of its construction, but from the efforts the world’s best riders have laid down in training. On Strava, the best time is currently held by Sebastian Henao with a 24:54, but the unofficial record belongs to Bradley Wiggins, set in the winter…

The Devote is the first dedicated gravel bike Liv has created designed entirely around the needs of the female rider. According to Liv it’s a ‘do-anything gravel bike that feels like a racy road bike and mountain bike all in one’. It’s a bold claim, but it might just be the answer for the rider wanting a ‘one-bike quiver killer’. At its heart lies a new advanced-grade carbon frame dripping in all the key features to head off into the wilderness on fully-laden adventures. Liv prioritised a female-specific geometry based upon its extensive worldwide research and also ensured the Devote is top of the class in terms of shock absorption, a critical area for gravel riders. This is all managed through very specific tube shapes and a carbon layup unique…

A 1940s club run meanders through summer lanes. Well populated by both men and women and neatly organised in pairs, the conviviality is obvious. Sadly, with rules on social distancing in place, a club run that is quite this friendly has become, temporarily, a thing of the past. Unhelpfully, the precise rules on group activity and social distancing vary too much between the nations of the UK to go into them here. However, on the bright side, as long as these rules are followed, we can all still ride with (at least some) others, and enjoy a modicum of the chat and the company, and even the coffee and cake, that the cycling club run has always been famous for.…

A solid start to the post-pandemic season, with top sixes in Tour de l’Ain and Route d’Occitanie puts Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) in a prime spot to repeat his win in last year’s Il Lombardia. But to do that he will have to contend with team-mate Vincenzo Nibali, who is also due to line up in Bergamo on Saturday and, as a previous two-time winner, will be one of the most successful riders on the starting grid. “It will be super-difficult but I feel like I’m in good form,” Mollema said. I did two races last week and they went pretty well. I think I have the level to be up there again in the final.” The Dutchman felt that he had come out of lockdown well, but he certainly…

There are few people whose love of cycling was as all-encompassing as that of journalist David Taylor, who died last month at the age of 82. Notably, he was the only reporter who felt it was worthwhile to travel to Norway for the Hour record attempt of a little-known Scot called Graeme Obree in 1993. He was rewarded with the story, and more importantly the pleasure of seeing the man whose battles with Chris Boardman he’d been covering for the previous few seasons, beat the record of the legendary Francisco Moser. His love of cycling was sparked as a teenager, watching events in Finsbury Park in North London. He quickly took to racing, especially new-to-the-UK mass-start events with the ‘radical’ British League of Racing Cyclists. He raced events in Essex…

■ Four new cable end caps and a lubed chain would just about cover the £50. Ollie Phillips ■ Love to have had the opportunity to apply for one. Went like tickets for a Led Zeppelin reunion. Ian Clarke ■ Buy the tools and work on the bike myself. I know the job will get done properly first time then. And I’ll have the tools for the future if the job needs repeating. Nathan Lenehan ■ Really???? You’re going to use it for what it is meant for… repairing or replacing something to make the bike safe and roadworthy… not an upgrade? Kirsty Siggee ■ A helmet for me. I’ve never had one and I have been riding my bike for 30 years or so… Attila Valadi ■ My rear…

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With a rapidly growing contingent of young Spanish-speaking riders, you might expect Team Ineos – the meticulous masters of detail – to have invested in someone to bring them up to speed with English to try to integrate them more smoothly into the British team. So who has Richard Carapaz been using as his language tutor since he signed for the squad this year? He smiles a warm, endearing smile and with an almost guilty laugh he says, “SpongeBob.” The Ecuadorian starts our interview with a jovial “hey man”, a greeting that was probably all the reigning Giro d’Italia champion could muster in English when he joined Team Ineos from Movistar last winter. “When I first met the team in Majorca in December at our training camp, my English was…

Orbea has rung the changes with a new Orca road bike designed to bisect the long-standing range into two distinct halves while retaining the familiar Orca outline. The differences between the now race-oriented OMX carbon version and this new OMR carbon model are subtle, but should help to create more diversity within the Orca family. This version focuses more on the needs of the rider who prefers a little more comfort for long-distance efforts. The OMX/OMR moniker refers to the carbon layup of the frame, with OMX being the lightest and highest quality and OMR, while still being made of high-modulus and high-strength carbon fibres, is more economical and translates to a slightly heavier and less stiff frame characteristic. Orbea is quoting a 53cm frame weight 200g heavier for the…

It feels a little strange to read the issue the week before the death of Tom Simpson on Mont Ventoux. With no sense of what was to come, reading it now almost heightens the tragedy of what happened on that fateful day. Although Simpson had been up to sixth place after stage nine to Divonneles-Bains in the mountains, he lost time the following day as he was dogged by stomach trouble, and there seemed little belief in his GC challenge. Pseudo British rider Michael Wright had won stage seven to Strasbourg, prompting the reporter to observe: “Wright must rank as one of the cleverest riders in the game… his head does as much work as his legs.” The six strongest riders in the British team – Simpson, Wright, Barry Hoban,…